


A Sweet Solution

by slotumn



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Didn't Know They Were Dating, F/M, Fluff, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Translation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24204385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slotumn/pseuds/slotumn
Summary: [This is an English translation of 고민 해결은 달콤하게 by 가나이안.]In which Lysithea is concerned about the lack of skinship and Claude is a little bit obtuse when it comes to love.
Relationships: Lysithea von Ordelia/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	A Sweet Solution

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [고민 해결은 달콤하게](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/620611) by 가나이안. 



"Oh, for goodness' sake!"

The exclamation was followed up by the sounds of munching on cookies, rather than crinkling of papers as one would typically expect. Said cookies were baked with exquisite fruits, imported straight from Almyra, as the chef had proudly explained. He didn't say what sort of fruits they were, exactly, but it certainly tasted exquisite, considering the picky Lysithea von Ordelia was satisfied with it. So the problem at hand wasn't with the treats-- but rather, the letter that came with it.

"Sending all my love and kisses? What in the world, honestly..."

The chef didn't put a fruit he'd never seen in his life into the dough out of his own will, though. No, that part was all thanks to the heartfelt pleas (and blackmail and coercion, knowing him) of the guy who recently flew all the way to Garreg Mach on a wyvern, carrying a massive sack full of those exquisite fruits on the back. Lysithea was grateful that she'd acquired such delicious snacks, of course, but her complaints, growing larger by the second, were another matter entirely.

"He could have done it directly instead of sending it in a letter!"

In other words, the problem was with none other than Claude von Riegan. Claude, who flew all the way to Garreg Mach from Almyra and still hadn't come to see her; Claude, who kept playfully professing his affections towards her; Claude, who had never kissed her, not even once. That man, Claude von Riegan!

She kept chewing on the cookie with all the might of her frustrations, the sweet taste of the fruit crushed between her teeth only adding insult to the injury. How vexing, that he kept sending all the signals of courtship, yet refused to engage in any acts normally reserved between lovers! It was only natural for her to suspect that he still thought of her as a child, contrary to his external claims about liking her.

"He's truly a fool."

"Who, me?"

The timely appearance was quite masterful, befitting of the title "Master Tactician." Annoyed by his face poking through the door, Lysithea purposefully snorted a loud "Hmph!"

"The conference ran a little longer than expected. Lorenz had a lot to say, you see."

"I believe you had time beforehand."

"Oh, uh...about that,"

Claude awkwardly scratched the side of his face, then switched to beaming once his gaze fell onto the cookie bowl.

"I see that you liked the cookies. The fruit was a nice touch, wasn't it?"

"You're trying to evade the subject again."

"Ah, you're really not letting me go today, are you."

Chuckling, he sat across the table, nonchalant as ever. Lysithea's expression was still severe, daring him to give an excuse, if he had any-- but Claude, famous for his silver tongue since their Academy days, wasn't the one to be intimidated so easily.

"You like sweets, and the fruit I brought today is one of the sweetest in Almyra. I thought it would be the perfect ingredient to use in cookies, but the chef was awfully stubborn-- saying he's got a lot of other things to cook, he doesn't know how to work it into the recipe, all that. I used up so much time convincing him that a knight had to come fetch me for the meeting."

"So that was more important than seeing me?"

"No, no, that's absolutely not what I meant-- my bad, don't blow me to bits, okay? I just wanted to show up with a nice surprise for you after the conference, that's all! But it was kind of dumb, in hindsight, so from here on, I'll always come see you first thing. Promise."

Lysithea sighed upon seeing Claude's alarmed expression quickly settle into a wink. The way he spoke, as if soothing a small child, did nothing to alleviate her anxieties. It was an absolute mystery as to how her past self fell in love this guy, and went so far as to accept his confession.

"Claude, do you still see me as a child?"

"Now, where in the world did that come from?"

"There's that consoling tone again...when you say that you love me, do you only mean that in the younger sibling-like way?"

Her eyebrows crumpled and knitted together, not wanting to show tears and other signs of upset in this situation. She wanted to ask and receive only clear, straightforward questions and answers-- volatile, momentary outbursts had no place in matters as important and precious as this.

"You know that's not the case better than anyone else."

Claude's expression, now free of all hints of teasing, set off rapid thumps in her chest. Yet even his voice, unusually calm and low, wasn't quite enough to comfort her. Her fists tightened.

"How am I supposed to know that, when you don't do anything? You never hold my hands or hug me or-- why would you put your kisses on a letter instead of me, when I'm right here?"

Spitting out all those words in one breath made her huff and pant for breath afterwards, shoulders rising and falling, heartbeat pounding like drums in her ears. While she calmed down from the feat, Claude still didn't reply, looking shocked with his mouth hanging open. His gaze slowly shifted from Lysithea's face, to the table, to the floor, and stayed there for what felt like several minutes. Finally, he swept his hands down his face, his cheeks appearing somewhat flushed.

"Wait, Lysithea, I think there's been some sort of miscommunication between us, here."

"What miscommunication? We seem to have different ideas of 'love--'"

"No, I do love you that way, truly. I said it when I first proposed to you, didn't I? That I want you to be my partner and companion for life."

Claude couldn't look straight at Lysithea, rubbing his face up and down with both hands as it grew redder by the moment. Feeling her heart soften a bit, Lysithea unfurled her whitened knuckles and cooled her warm cheeks against her palms.

"Then why aren't we taking the steps lovers normally do? Is it because you think I'm still too young?"

"No, that's definitely not the case! Honestly, I do, I want to hold your hands, and hug you, and kiss you, and-- dammit, I'm rambling. Point is, I was trying to be careful, precisely because I respect you and hold you precious above anything else."

Claude was definitely blushing now. After a deep breath, he finally lifted his head to face Lysithea, who was kneading her cheeks with the back of her hands. Looking at how he cleared his throat for a good measure, Lysithea also gulped, feeling rather tense. 

"That's what I meant about the miscommunication bit earlier. I can't initiate things like that when you haven't agreed to be in a relationship yet, can I?"

"Huh...?"

The tension shattered. Lysithea was so taken aback that she shot out of the chair and stood up, rummaging through her memories. Last winter, when Claude visited, he suggested that they start going steady. So she responded by saying that would be okay, and several months had passed since then.

"What are you talking about? I told you I was okay with it last time."

"But that was...it wasn't quite..."

The rare sight of Claude being at a loss for words led Lysithea to yell,

"You're the one who tried to tease me by bringing it up first, Claude!"

Indeed. The otherwise-typical conversation they were having somehow flowed that way when Claude suggested, "Maybe we should try going steady?" in that lighthearted joking manner of his. Lysithea played along, casually answering, "Well, I suppose we can, if you'd like."

"Oh, gods. Sorry. I'm really sorry."

Claude buried his face into his hands again, rubbing up and down and taking deep breaths. Lysithea awkwardly sat back down, waiting for him to calm down. She did yell out of upsetness, but to be fair, her response back then was also lighthearted and half-joking. 

"You turned me down because of your lifespan when I first proposed to you, so I worked Professor Hanneman and Linhardt day and night to find a cure...and now that your Crests are gone, if you rejected me again, that would really be the end of it. So I wanted to try harder and make you fall for me, before officially proposing again."

She should have noticed something was up when he didn't grin and ask back if she meant it, just to make sure. The reaction was different from his typical ones, she knew, yet her past self still chose to let it slip by, like a fool.

"Ah, for saints' sakes!"

Lysithea stood up and took a few strides-- so short yet so distant-- to stand next to Claude. Then, she shoved her face towards his.

Claude's widened eyes didn't even have the chance to close, while Lysithea's momentarily squeezed shut before opening again along with the short, intense kiss. Calming her racing heart, Lysithea went back to her seat, as nonchalantly as possible, even though her cheeks were still visibly flushed. With small cough, she looked at Claude's dazed face once more.

"Was that clear enough of an answer?"

His expression was some complicated mix of joy and confusion, the brilliant mind of his apparently having short-circuited from the kiss. Lysithea grabbed one of the remaining cookies and held it towards Claude, who reached out to take it as if in a trance.

"Oh...uh...yeah. Yes. Definitely."

Feeling proud, Lysithea decided to reward herself by biting into the remaining cookie. The taste that came with a delightful crunch was almost as sweet as the satisfaction of knowing she didn't have to worry over a non-issue. Most of all, she was happy to have confirmed that Claude truly loved her, far beyond what she thought was possible. After finishing the cookie in an instant, she wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. 

"Alright, then. Let's go out now."

"Huh, wha--?"

Claude looked up at her, still holding the cookie. Lysithea stood up to take his other hand and pulled him out of the seat, already set on her next course of action.

"I know you don't have anything scheduled after the conference. You've made me worry over nothing, so you'll take responsibility and make up for it by spending with me, won't you?"

Claude, finally snapping out of the daze, flashed his usual grin. 

"Your wish is my command."


End file.
